It would have marked the first offers of direct-flight service to the two destinations from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport since Southwest Airlines discontinued serving them in 2013. A similar lack of support within the market was cited by the airline and in a subsequent AL.com report when the plans were announced in late 2012.

Last night’s #bhamchat was unexpectedly delayed for several reasons.For those looking forward to it, especially in light of all of the news events from yesterday, I apologize for not giving adequate notice.

It’s our intention to hold it this evening instead (Wednesday, July 15) starting at 6:30 p.m. CT. If you’ve got any ideas for topics for this evening, and your suggestion to the comments section below.

We’ve just received word that the repaving of the parking lot on Ruffner Mountain Nature Center‘s East Lake side that was scheduled for this week will now not start until tomorrow morning (BTW, they’ve launched their new website earlier this week).

If everything goes according to plan, officials at the center hope that hikers will be able to access the hiking trails from the East Lake side of the mountain beginning on Tuesday, June 30 (though they would rather you call the center before you head over there just in case bad weather causes additional delays).

The new visitors center is still not scheduled to be open to the general public until August; so for now you’ll just have to watch it from afar – after Tuesday – until then. The website’s front page has information about other access points for folks wanting to hike.

The Birmingham City Council just voted on items pertaining to a potential restoration project for America’s oldest ballpark, Rickwood Field.

The ballpark is located on Birmingham’s West Side and will turn 100 years old next spring. The following was taken verbatim from the City’s Facebook group, as sent by Alicia Brown:

“Mayor Langford has proposed the formation of the Baseball Museum that will honor both the Negro Baseball League and the Southern League. Some Council members expressed concern about the “change in scope” by including the white leagues, but Mayor Langford explained that Birmingham has matured and is ready to recognize all of its history. Council voted a resolution to support the museum, but did not approve funding, delaying the project.“